GLOSSARY (E-G)

ecology - the study of the interrelationships of all species and their environments

ecosystem - the interaction between the physical environment, plants, animals in an area - examples are a ponds, a forest, a coral reef, the Great Lakes etc

emigration - the process of leaving one country to live in another - the emigration rate is expressed as the number departing a country per thousand of the population

EEC - European Economic Community - an association of western European countries to develop a unified economic policy - its name was changed to the European Union in 1993 - Member states include: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, UK, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

exponential growth - a constant rate of growth over time where time increases in arithmetic steps and the other variable increases at a geometric rate

family planning - various methods for controlling the population growth by controlling the timing, spacing and number of pregnancies

famine - a severe food shortage resulting in hunger or starvation often caused by crop failure, drought or war

fertility - the ability of a woman to bear children - the fertility rate of a country is expressed as the yearly number of live births per thousand women of child-bearing age

finished goods - manufactured goods that are ready for shipment and sale to consumers

foreign exchange - money in the form of currencies from other countries, which is required to buy goods or services from those countries

free trade - a situation where there are no restrictions on the international exchange of goods and services

geopolitics - the study of the relationships between a nation and the rest of the world - each nation has a sphere of influence it exerts over surrounding nations in areas such as trade, economic aid, military intervention etc.

greenhouse effect - water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere influence the heat ballance of the planet by allowing incoming solar radiation to pass through but restrict passage of reflected or emmitted radiation from the surface - this has the effect of trapping heat within the atmosphere which keeps the Earth's temperature relatively warm

Green Revolution - the use of scientific plant breeding techniques to achieve high-yielding varieties of crops
- it was thought that these plant varieties would help solve the hunger problems in the Third World

Gross National Product - it is a measure of the level of industrial development in a country expressed as the total value of all goods and services in a country in one year

groundwater - water stored naturally in porous rock beneath the surface - this source of water is useful for irrigation and domestic water supplies - it accounts for about 1/4 of all freshwater on the planet